Reunion
by WishMaker7
Summary: Volkner/Flint. There's a lot of interlacing of family ties to the Board of the Leagues, and as family goes, there is fights. Fights, that compromise the entirety of entire regions. And entire families.


_Volkner_—3:22PM

Flint, noticing my shivering, wrapped his arms around my waist and pressed his lips to my neck. He shielded me from the fan. "You warm now?" He smiled, playfully nibbling on my neck, approaching my chin.

"Y-Yes…" I sighed in a bout of pleasure. He chuckled in his breath and continued to move his way up my face, eventually kissing my forehead. He moved his lips down to trace mine, teasing me with a kiss free of pressure. He took my love-move, how dare he. As he continued, his unused hand began working its way up into my t-shirt. The always-warm hand tracing up my chest caused me to develop goosebumps on it. His fingers rubbed my nipples, producing a low moan from me. The devilish hand moved its way from my nipples down southward, and that was when I knew it had to stop. I slapped his hand away. "Flint, not now. I-I'm not ready. And plus, the League Banquet is happening soon."

"So? It happens at seven. That still gives us three-and-a-half hours to prepare."

"Well, it's in Unova, and it's gonna take us a while to get there. You already packed?"

"Yes, mother."

"Oh, stop." I slapped his wrist playfully. "I just wanna make sure. Remember last time—"

"…When I forgot my toothbrush and had to use your poor Octillery to wash my mouth, yeah."

"No, you don't understand. The poor thing still has nightmares. He said he'll never use another Bubble Beam again."

"Dude, it was like sushi and toothpaste. How do you think _I_ felt?"

"Like Bear Grylls." I chuckled. "…You still in the mood?" I asked, no expectance in my tone.

"Well, the upper half of me: no. The bottom: very much yes."

"That's still only half."

"Hey! .5 out of 1! You round up. That's a yes."

"Well 1.5 no's out of 2 is a no."

"…I hate you."

I shot him a raspberry. "Now, c'mon. I need to bake the stuffs for my part of the League Banquet."

"God, you're half-American. Just make some tacos or something."

"That… That's racist. No. I'm gonna make pasta, and macaroni, and pizza…"

"Italian stuff… Italian stuff… Italian stuff…" He mumbled. "You're Italian, right?"

"No, I'm half-German. There's no such thing as being 'half-American.' If you're white and 'from 'Merica,' you're probably some sort of European. I'm German."

"And Sinnohan."

"…_And Sinnohan._"

"So," Flint started as I began to make my pizza crust. "Why Italian food?"

"Well… it's actually because I can't handle the flavors of German food too well, with the way they make them. 'Merican food is too… saturated fatty. So Italian food is pleasant and I've always enjoyed it. So I learned to cook it from Chili. He's so cute." I smiled as I threw the dough into the air. "They're so dynamic, those three. Cress is all calm, and collected, like 'Hello, and welcome to the Straiton City Restaurant. How may I help you?' Cilan's all, like 'Hey, everybody! Welcome to the Straiton City Restaurant! Let me show you to your tables!" I demonstrated enthusiastically. "And Chili's all like, 'Wazzup, guys! Here's your restaurant~! Find your seat~! Wazzam!' …He's so cute." I slathered tomato sauce on the pizza crust and drizzled an extra-reasonable amount of mozzarella cheese. Topping it with basil, I popped it into the oven and began working on my macaroni.

Flint chuckled. "You know who else is cute?" I blushed. "Mah Vulpix!" He held her up.

"…Rrr?"

My smile faded and I pouted. "Hmph!" And I returned to my work, pretending not to notice him.

He pulled up beside me and pressed Vulpix in my face. "Better?"

"No!" I waved his Vulpix away, which he returned.

"Here," He rested his hands on my shoulders and began to rub, unknotting the tension from my back and neck. I relaxed and moaned a bit in relief. "_Now_ are you better?"

"Y-Yes…" I breathed, stirring the cheese in the macaroni without a care.

"Okay, then. But you _know_ Pixie's adorable."

"She is. But don't I matter more?"

"Than a baby Vulpix? Inconsiderate, Volke. That's very inconsiderate." He scolded.

"Jeez, never mind. I—ohhh…" He continued to massage my neck, making me almost collapse in tranquility. "Lemme… finish… my macaroni…"

"Alright. I'll finish when you're done." And he pulled away, but not without a quick swipe of my neck with his tongue.

I shuddered, but continued to mix the macaroni and cheese. I finally put that into a dish and popped it into the oven as well.

After I was finished, I relaxed myself onto Flint's leg. He gently tugged my hair back to coax me into nuzzling him. I did so and he continued to massage me. "You ready for the banquet?" I asked, a trance in my voice.

"I… I don't really know…"

"How could you not know?"

"It depends on how you're father takes it."

I opened my mouth to speak, but I heard rambling down the stairs. "BIG BROTHER!" It was Buck, Flint's twelve-year-old little brother. He came downstairs in a little tux that I bought for him. "Can I come too? Can I? Can I, _please_?"

"I… I don't really know…" Flint repeated. "If you wanna deal with Mom and Dad, be my guest. Otherwise, you're gonna have to hang with Dia and Pearl, okay?"

Buck contemplated for a moment. "Naw, I'll just go with you guys—HI VOLKNER!"

After clearing my ears and making sure I could still hear, I responded, "Hi, Buck…" I was ranting inside, trying to find a way that Flint and I could be intimate whilst also having to deal with this annoying, self-centered, bitchy, whiny—

"So, you're just gonna pack your stuff for the next three nights, then?" Flint interjected my thoughts.

"Yeah!" And he ran upstairs, slipping on one, and out of sight with a "WOOHOO!"

"Arceus, no wonder he's a mistake." I hissed.

"Don't even know if he's a good one or not…" Flint joked. I was hoping he was serious. "What? Buck's a good kid."

"What happens to the day we decide to… _go_ and he magically ends up right in the midst of it?"

"That's why we'll fuck at your place."

"But… I'm not ready."

"I know, but when you are, we'll fuck at your place."

"_Flint_… I'm scared. What if we do it and I… what if I mess up and, like, break it…?" My virgin mind warped the thoughts around like it was as if breaking a stick in half. I shuddered at the thought. It upset me to know that Flint wasn't a virgin. Not only does that mean that he slept with someone else, but it also means _he's smarter than me at something_. Gasp.

He gave me a look between creeped-out and amused. "Well that can't happen! At least… I think…"

The timer chimed on his pizza, and I swiftly poked it with a toothpick. "All done!" I smiled.

"Now whadda 'bout the macaroni?"

"A little later," I informed. "Not now."

"Alright. But I'm _hungry_."

"It's not for you!" I scolded. "Go eat something out of the trash."

"But _why_?" He whined. "Get in the kitchen and make me a sammich."

"But I'm not a girl!"

"Still, you're the girl in this relationship. Now get on your apron, get in the kitchen and make me a sammich."

"Make me make you a sammich." I dared.

"Let's not go too far there, partner."

"And why do I need an apron?"

"So you look housewife-ish."

"WHY DO I NEED TO LOOK HOUSEWIFE-ISH?"

"Because it'd be cute."

"Oh!" I heard from upstairs. "Doing some S&M stuff, I hear?" Buck, to my horror, retorted.

I hissed under my breath, "What have you done to this child?"

"I haven't done anything!" He hissed.

The timer dinged on the macaroni. I removed it and placed it into the back of the car, like the pizza and soda, etc.

"You ready yet, Bucky?"

"Yeah! Wait, lemme do one final scan!" A moment after this, he ran downstairs with a suitcase. "Alright then, c'mon! To the League Banquet! To the League Banquet!"

* * *

_Flint_—6:27PM

It hadn't quite occurred to me that there would be five sets of eight Gym Leaders and five sets of Elite Four, as well as five Champions. It just hadn't occurred to me that there were 60+ people. The room was packed. Ironically, Volkner and I matched, in a way. He wore his best suit (which, to him was a neon-blue velvet suit, pants, and fedora and a neon-green dress shirt, shoes, and gloves (oh, and socks)), and I wore _my_ best suit (a red and white scheme of Volkner's dressing).

I told Buck to shoo and hang out with Maylene and Bugsy (is a guy?) and all the other little Gym Leaders. It's ironic. You're supposed to be fifteen, at least, to become a _trainer_, so how did these not-fifteen-year-olds get _Pokemon_? Let alone be trainers? My brain hurt. Maybe it's because they had merits. That's why Buck has his Pokemon. It's because his father, mother and brother all have a special status.

And speaking of father and mother… "Ah, Flint, so it _is _true. I thought your mother was scaring me for a moment but it looks like it's true." My father, Blaine, scratched his bald head from underneath his hat. He poked Volkner with his cane. "At least you took a strapping young lad, chap!"

"Ow… thanks," Volkner sheepishly replied.

"I always knew you two were meant to be together. Didn't you think so, dear?" Mom, Big Bertha, commented.

"I always thought he'd be with that Flannery girl! She's a bright lass!" This caused her to turn around and flush. "Why didn't cha take her?"

" 'Cause I'm gay, Dad. It doesn't work like that."

"Yes, Mr. Cole, it's not like you wake up one day and decide to be straight."

"Eh, all I remember is waking up with your mother next to me in bed nearly thirty years ago. Regretted it ever since." This caused Volkner to snicker and me to flush red.

"D-Dad!" I whined. "Not now…"

"Daddy! Mom!" Buck ran in with Maylene and Bugsy. He jittered a bit. "I'm surrounded by so many cool people! I'm so popular in school 'cause of you guys!"

Volkner sighed and out of nowhere, he explained, "Sweetie, it doesn't matter who your brother is, or his boyfriend, or your parents, or even your friends. You are who _you_ make yourself to be. If your friends are the ones who fuel your confidence, then maybe you need to step away from them for a while and find _yourself_. You're family or friends shouldn't dictate who you are." He chuckled quietly. "My parents always had to deal with me. I was the wild child. But look at me now. I'm happy. And it's all because I found who _I_ am, and not what people expect me to be, or want me to be."

So Buck, in a newfound respect for my once 'taking-away-my-big-brother' boyfriend, left to outside for a breather. Bugsy and Maylene followed.

"Wow…" I breathed. "That… That was powerful."

"Eh, that's what therapy does after a suicide scare." He shrugged. Ah, so _that's_ what his therapist did. At least it didn't end up making him Pokesbyterian where it's all like 'Arceus fainted for our sins!' shit.

I tangled my hand in his and pecked him on his cheek. "By the way, where's your parents—err—dad?"

Volkner's lip twitched a bit, probably fighting back the tears of his late mother, but he took a deep breath and managed, "I wouldn't be too happy seeing my dad…"

"Whadda 'bout Morty or Elesa?"

"I… I don't know… they don't know either." His voice was barely audible at this point. "They'd probably hate me."

"For what? For finding love?"

"But Flint… you're a boy."

"So? They had to deal with Falkner and Aaron."

"But this is their brother! Their baby brother! What the _hell_ are they gonna think of me!" He tore his hand free of mine.

"Are…? Are you ashamed?"

After a long sigh, he slumped. "Yeah. A little bit, I guess."

"Why?"

"Because… well what if Dad gets ashamed of me? What if Morty and El never look at me the same way again? What if they disown me? What if they hate me?"

I took him by his shoulders and forced him to relax. "Just calm down. Look. Here's Mort and El right now—"

"He doesn't like 'Mort.' "

"Here's Mort_y_ and El right now. Maybe you can talk to them."

"But—"

"Hey, Volke! Little brother, what's up?" Morty rode up beside him and squeezed him. "Hey, Flint."

"Hey,"

"How've you been?" Elesa smiled, joining the hug.

"I've been good."

"Sinnoh treating you well?"

"Yeah, El. It's where I was born…"

"Well yeah, but…"

"How's things going with Flinty over here?" Morty inquired, making Volkner freeze. He thought Morty meant romantically.

"I have to be honest with you…" Volke sighed. "Today's our five month."

"Your… what?" The brother and sister slowed for a minute.

"You guys are dating…?" Elesa whispered. "Finally?"

"Wh-Whadda you mean, 'finally?' "

"You guys were meant to be! I was waiting to hear this!"

"Volke, it's no doubt you're gay. You always pretended to be a princess and that I'd save you." Morty chuckled. "You always stole El's thunder—"

"And I was _mad_."

"But really, little brother, it's obvious you _are_, but I was just waiting for the day you'd find that out yourself."

"Th-Thanks…"

"But I really don't know how Dad's gonna take all this…" Elesa grumbled.

"Well, better prepare quick. Here he comes."

Volkner stiffened at the sheer sight of his impressive father. Wearing all military (this is a _formal_ banquet?), Lieutenant Surge marched up to his sons and daughter and squeezed them all awkwardly and roughly. "Hey, kiddos, what's goin' on?"

"Um…" Volkner hesitated.

"Hey Flint," Surge's (his name's Sergio, his last name's Connor, get over yourselves) gruff voice made me shudder.

"Sir yes sir?"

He laughed a hearty, booming laugh. "Talk like that and I'mona make you march!" He joked. I didn't get it.

"Daddy!" Elesa hugged him. "How are things in Kanto?"

"Well, your mother's funeral went well," Volkner sighed and sniffled a bit. "She got her burial and she's in a better place now." Surge noticed his son's distress. "You okay, Scout?"

Volkner sniffled once more. "Y-Yeah. I'm fine." He sniffled again, wiping a stray tear from his face. I wanted to reach out and help him, but I knew that it wasn't appropriate. Surge didn't know that Volkner was gay, nor did I think he supported gay marriage. "It's just Mom…" His sniffles got more severe and he had to escape into the restroom, leaving me with the Lieutenant and his other two kids.

I know Morty and Elesa from being Volkner's best friend (and from also having League family connections), but I never really got into a legitimate conversation with his father. It was always 'yeah… okay… sure…' with him. I didn't really care for what he said, I was usually just stuck in situations like this where Volkner wasn't present and he was.

"You got a goofy hairstyle." Surge noted in a standard military way.

"Um… I'm sorry?"

"Why do you wear your hair like that?"

I thought he was going to draw a Ka-bar on me and shank me right there if I didn't answer. " 'Cause it's convenient, sir."

"Don't birds get caught in it?"

"Not that I'm aware of, sir."

"You need to wash your hair."

"I… I already do. Every day."

"Hmm…" He examined me. "Can't wonder why Volkner always goes ahead and befriends the pretty boys. Well y'know what?" I was expecting, 'YOU. ARE. A. DIS-GRACE!' but instead I got, "You ain't half bad, kid."

Volkner reappeared beside his father and twitched a bit, probably from the aftermath of his possible mental meltdown. "Dad…"

"What'll it be, Scout?"

"I need… I need to tell you something. I need to get something straight with you."

"Well, alright then, son, jus—"

" 'Cause I'm not."

* * *

_Roark_—7:02PM

It was happening again. I watched as a man, someone very close to Volkner, beat him down to a miniscule size, causing him to cry out and quiver. Except it wasn't me this time, and it wasn't just me that noticed. Surge's shouts well, for a lack of a better term, _surged_ out into the crowd and got everyone to turn their heads.

"I—Daddy, please! I'm sorry!"

"Sorry for what, varmint?" Surge shouted, making Volkner literally crouch down to his knees to try to avoid his father. His own father. "What the _hell _could you be so sorry for?" Volkner whimpered, his hands shielding his head, and simply shook it, finding no other way to escape his father's judgment. "You go ahead and do this behind my back—behind your own daddy's back—and decide you're gonna fuck some _guy_!"

Flint tried reasoning with the man. "Lieutenant, you don't understand—"

"Understand _what_? You're in as deep of shit as him!"

"Then why don't you attack me, huh? Takes two to tango." Flint challenged. I remembered from my last infuriated encounter with him and this is exactly how he is. He tries whatever he can whenever in order to divert the attention away from his lover.

Volkner, sniffling, attempted to scrape away, but his father grabbed him forcefully by the collar of his suit and pulled him back. Volkner made gagging noises and coughed painfully. "And where the hell do you think _you're_ going?"

"He's getting to safety." Flint intruded between Surge and his son, causing him to let go. "Away from his oh-so kind father."

"Whadda you tryin' to say, boy?"

"I'm saying if you beat your son—in the middle of a banquet, no less—you-you can't do that, man! That's not right!" Flint forced his eyes shut, allowing the stream of mindless (and yet always ends up more intelligent) words to pour out his lips. "I love him, okay? If you have a problem with that, then you can take that up with whoever the hell you want, but don't try to beat the gay outta him. It's not coming out! That's like trying to beat the blonde outta you, our beat out your Army nature. It's not gonna happen! It's built into him. He was born this way."

"You try and say what you want about him, but I know my son."

"Apparently, you don't."

"What makes you wanna say that, that you can't even look me in my eyes?"

"I-I don't need to." He grumbled. "But not the point. You don't know your son well enough to know that he's gay? He loves me, okay? I love him back. Love's love. Hell, if I was… Flintina or something, you'd be totally fine." I couldn't help but chuckle at his womanized name. "But no. I'm Flint and I'm staying Flint. I love him because he's been my best friend for nearly eighteen years. I practically raised him like a little brother."

"So now you're incest."

"No, you don't get the point! If you found someone—that very special, perfect-in-an-imperfect-way someone—and they happened to be a boy, what would you do? Hell, I'd go for it. I'd go for a tree with googly eyes if it had some personality. But you'd say no, just because it's a boy. So what happens to the day where you're searching for a person _just like _that boy, but a girl? You know the chances of that? There is no chance! You don't try to find 'someone like you,' you get that damned person! I tried to deny it. I tried to find a replacement Volkner. It got so bad, I got stupid and desperate to get him out of my fucking mind that I lost my virginity. But it still wasn't enough. I needed _him_. Not someone like him. _Him_. I love him because he's the most beautiful guy I've ever met, both obtrusively _and_ intrusively. He's gorgeous. I have to give you that. You're three kids, two being models and one being a spirit channeler? Damn, nice job. But it's Volkner's personality that made him stick out. No one else in the world made me feel the way Volke did. He made me feel important. He made me feel like I could be myself. I didn't have to conjure up some funny guy to make everyone laugh. I could be _myself_. That, and many others, are the reasons I love him, and if you have a problem with that, I'd like you see you go to practically _any_ straight couple our age and ask them why they love each other. Us gays are already on the bad end. We have to deal with right-wings and jerks and lowlifes that try to make us feel unwelcome. Hell, what is it you Americans say? 'One nation under God, indivisible with... with... with liberty and justice for all?' Yeah. Real nice. If you feel that a boy and a girl can get married, but not two boys or two girls, that's not one nation. That's divisible. You're dividing us out of our equal rights. We don't get any justice for this. So we have to go through that whole closet period. We have to live in fear. Why the hell would I just love him for his looks? I had to take the damned risk of being assaulted the rest of my life just to _be_ with him. And it's people like _you_ that are only making us live divided."

Surge didn't move for a long time. He simply stood there, his body language hinting towards Flint's assault. I looked around a bit and couldn't find Volkner. He wasn't anywhere to be found. Surge growled. Then he screamed, leading him to stomp away from the room. It was at that point that Flint realized that Volkner could not be found, and I decided I would help. "Flint! Hey, wait up!"

"O-Oh! Um… Roark… what's up?"

"Look, I understand you're still uncomfortable with me, but it's not _about_ me right now. It's about Volkie—erm—Volkner."

Flint, after a smirk of indecision, finally nodded. "Al-Alright. Just for now."

"I'm a changed man, Flint. Really. Please don't antagonize me. I'm not the same guy anymore. I'm not the man that hurt Volkner anymore. That man's dead."

Flint breathed. "Alright, fine. I believe you. Let's just find Volke, alright?"

I nodded. I decided I'd check the bathroom, whilst Flint checked amidst the crowd. He was nowhere in the bathroom stalls, as none were occupied.

I returned out to find Flint jammed right into my face. "Ah, Arceus!" I gasped out, startled.

"He's in the back room." Flint whispered. "And he's crying."

I exhaled. I never wanted to see him upset again, after the punishment I made him endure, but his father—the man that raised him since he was small—decided to beat him down and make him suffer, just because he was gay. "C'mon, let's go see him."

Flint pushed open the door, the rest of the League crowded around him, and found Volkner there, sobbing into the back bedroom pillow. Volkner—who thought he was unloved, who thought he was all alone, who felt he was a waste of air and space—was instantly flooded by all of those he didn't think cared.

* * *

_Flint_—8:20PM

Figures. Only the lieutenant didn't flood into the small back room. Well him, and those that couldn't fit. 'More than 30 peoples in the room is dangerous and unlawful. Fire Marshal' Good words. Only about twenty of us squeezed in to make some breathing room for Volke. But even after all of this love, Volkner turned away. "Just go…" He sniffled. "I-I want to be alone now."

"Volke," I laid down in bed beside him. "Look at all these people. They love you and want you to be okay."

"But my dad hates me… he'll—I'll never get my dad's love ever again. He hates me…"

"That doesn't matter."

"Yes it does!" He cried. "He raised me and now he hates me. It's all my fault…" Typical child. When something goes wrong with the parents, they automatically assume it's their fault. "He doesn't want me anymore and it's all… my… fault…" He cried softly.

"Volkner," I wrapped an arm around him (which got some of the girls to d'aww?). "It's not your fault. If it's anyone's fault, it's mine for getting so close to you the months before we started dating." I sighed and combed my fingers through his hair. He shivered, so I threw his coat (which had been furiously thrown to the side) back around him, and kissed him. "Even when I didn't think I had feelings for you, my body just kinda made me get closer. To enjoy everything you do just that much more. After a couple weeks of this closeness, I realized I was in love with you. It's _not your fault_."

"But I had always been in love with you." He cried in a barely-audible voice. Tears began to wet the arm that was wrapped around his waist. "It's my fault. No matter how you try to bend it, Flint." He sniffled and pulled my arm closer to his neck. He whispered in my hand, "I'm sorry…"

"Hmph, well I suppose the only one who's to blame is me." We turned around and found the lieutenant standing at the doorway. Karen and sister Claire moved out of the way so we could see him. "Son, it wasn't right. I thought I could control everything you did, but I couldn't. You were too perfect. I thought that I could make you whatever I wanted, but I acted like a spoiled brat when I found I couldn't. I threw you away and abused you." He sighed and wiped the stray tear that formed on the side of his eye. "I'm sorry. I'm just gonna have to learn to accept that I'll be walking my _son_ down the aisle…" I flushed at the thought, but said nothing. "Flint, the way you spoke about him—such passion—I really couldn't have realized it without you. Thanks, cadet. And if I find that your words are complete bull, I'll break your neck." This made Volkner smile. "Son or daughter, I'll break you if you hurt him."

"Sir yes sir, I won't. I promise."

Surge exhaled. "Scout, can you bear to look at your asshole dad?"

"Y-Yes! Why wouldn't I?" He turned to his father. He stood to his father. He embraced his father. "I forgive you, Dad."

Surge couldn't hold back his tears any longer. He sobbed and squeezed his son, letting the warm tears exchange upon each other. "I love you, son."

"I love you too, Daddy." I cleared my throat to stop me from crying. "Oh, and of course I love you, Flint." Volkner mistook. I shrugged and took it anyway.

The League emptied back out into the banquet hall. Surge gave his son a kiss atop his head and headed back out to his other son and his daughter. Two stayed behind. Hands clasped in one another, they kissed in the back room from the banquet hall.

It was official. They could begin to love again.


End file.
